UCLA home games to return to original sports facilities as renovations near completion

Hear that buzz in the air?

That is the sound of about 87,000 fans cheering on their Bruins at the upgraded Rose Bowl and soon-to-be 13,800 fans screaming their lungs out at the newly renovated Pauley Pavilion.

That is the sound of UCLA football and basketball being back in the national spotlight and the Olympic sports doing what they do best ““ contending for national championships.

This return to prominence is one reason that, in the past year, UCLA has been “Under Construction Like Always” with several projects that included renovations to some of UCLA’s athletics facilities.

At the center of the construction is the famous Pauley Pavilion that houses several UCLA teams and is currently set to hold its first game on Nov. 9.

When Pauley Pavilion closed, multiple sports teams were forced to take up residence elsewhere for home games.

Men’s basketball never looked completely comfortable in home games last season at various arenas in Los Angeles and Anaheim, while women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball and gymnastics needed time to adjust to playing in the John Wooden Center.

“It definitely has a whole different feeling, because the Wooden Center is so much smaller. It feels a lot more personal and it feels crowded, whereas in Pauley it was kind of spread out and really quiet,” said women’s volleyball senior outside hitter Rachael Kidder.

“I think at first it just took some getting used to. It was different. Whenever you play in a new place it’s going to be kind of tough, but we got used to it pretty fast.”

However, teams that play in Pauley Pavilion won’t be the only beneficiaries of venue upgrades.

Spaulding Field, the football team’s practice field, was revamped earlier this summer and has been in use all season.

The football team spent its training camp at Cal State San Bernardino, while new artificial turf was installed on the 80-yard practice fields at Spaulding. UCLA decided against making the fields regulation size.

“It’s actually 100-yards long with the two end zones, but the renovation didn’t add any space to Spaulding Field. (It) is what it is and it’s been that way for a number of years,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director Ken Weiner, adding that the coaches haven’t complained about the length of the field.

This $800,000 project, which was paid for through donations and existing athletic department revenues, will provide an even surface that won’t give way when players make cuts, which had been an issue with the fields before the renovation.

UCLA is even resurfacing the courts at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, and redoing the gymnastics practice center in preparation for the upcoming season.

Meanwhile, across town in Pasadena, the second of three phases of construction was completed at the Rose Bowl as the Bruins prepared to take on Nebraska for the season home opener.

The Rose Bowl has undergone multiple upgrades that will not be complete until the 2014 Rose Bowl game, but this will not prevent the football team from taking the field at the venue also known as “America’s Stadium.”

The newest features include a new press box, upgraded premium seating areas with air conditioning, suites and a public safety command center.

However, the project’s cost ““ currently pegged between $165 million and $175 million ““ has exceeded its original expectations of $152 million, which has created a funding gap. This has resulted in some of the construction being delayed, so that the funds can be raised to pay the extra cost.

“We essentially defer some elements and give the project an opportunity to generate revenue that would then pay for the deferred element at a later date,” said Victor Gordo, president of the Rose Bowl Operating Company back in July.

These renovations did not impact the football season, but one might expect the change in venue would have had an effect on the teams that usually play in Pauley Pavilion.

However, women’s volleyball coach Mike Sealy, whose team won the national championship last year after playing a whole season in the John Wooden Center, downplayed the notion that the change in venue had any effect on his team.

“It’s just volleyball. We’ve played matches in (the Wooden Center) before, so it’s not a big deal,” he said. “We enjoy the small environment as well. If they want us to play outside in the grass field we will.”

While women’s volleyball won’t move back into Pauley Pavilion until late in their current season, the stadium will be ready to host the start of the men’s and women’s basketball seasons, as well as other winter and spring sports.

The $136 million project to renovate Pauley Pavilion will be funded through a combination of donations, sponsorship revenue and student seismic fees, with the athletics department being on the hook for any debt remaining on the project. Pauley will keep the same structure that it has always been known for, but will be expanded and improved into a state-of-the-art facility.

Among the many changes are a new concourse, a statue of John Wooden outside, a marketplace, increased capacity, new scoreboards and speaker systems, as well as underground features such as a media room and a players’ lounge.

Athletes said they are excited for Pauley’s completion and cannot wait until they get the chance to step out and compete on Nell and John Wooden Court for the very first time.

“I know (for) the girls who already have played there, it will be a great experience for them because it’s a whole new place and then (for) the girls who have never played there before, we’ll just kind of be in awe of everything that it is,” said sophomore Zoë Nightingale, of women’s volleyball.

Hear that buzz in the air?

That is the sound of the construction nearing completion, and the players taking center stage at the remodeled arenas for the very first time.